Jordan’s king warns Syria may become a jihadist state

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AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan’s king warned Wednesday that a jihadist state could emerge on his northern border in Syria with Islamist extremists trying to establish a foothold in the neighboring country.

King Abdullah II, a key US ally, said in an interview that in his view, Syrian President Bashar Assad was beyond rehabilitation and it was only a matter of time before his authoritarian regime collapses. But he said he opposed foreign military intervention.

‘‘The most worrying factors in the Syrian conflict are the issues of chemical weapons, the steady flow or sudden surge in refugees, and a jihadist state emerging out of the conflict,’’ the king said.

He said it costs his cash-strapped nation $550 million annually to host an estimated 500,000 Syrian refugees — about nine percent of Jordan’s population of 6 million. He said most have crossed in the last 12 months.

The government says they have strained the country’s meager resources, including health care and education, and forced the budget deficit to a record high of $3 billion last year.

There is also concern that agents linked to Assad or his militant Lebanese ally Hezbollah has formed sleeper cells in Jordan to destabilize the country.

Nevertheless, Abdullah said he was against any foreign military intervention in Syria, including setting up a safe zone for the refugees inside the country.

‘‘Jordan works within Arab consensus and international consensus and legalities. I am totally against sending Jordanian troops inside Syria and this has always been Jordanian policy. I am also against any foreign military intervention in Syria.’’

Previously, Abdullah warned that Syria’s chemical weapons could fall into the hands of militants, who are seeking to establish a presence in Syria.

From there, they could be used against Syria’s neighbors, including Jordan — a strong US ally that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

He warned that radicalization of Syria, together with the deadlock in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, could ignite the entire region.